? on the model 1873 carbine rifle

I'm 99.9% sure that the Winchester 73 was never offered in 45 colt. That being said, when I get my '73 it will probably be in 45 colt anyway. Haven't decided yet though.
 
The .45 Colt was never offered in any Winchester rifle till recently. The early balloon head cases had smaller weaker rims. If the extractor could catch it at all it would have been more likely to tear it open before it extracted the case.
 
Hawg is correct in the historical aspect. The modern offerings in 45Colt are neat though and I like mine just because it means only one caliber to carry for both rifle and handgun. The 44/40 is a pain to load comparativley but does have an advantage as that bottle neck case seals the chamber better from blowback in to the action with moderate black powder loads. If black powder is what you shoot it is something to consider.
 
Reloading the 44-40 does have a learning curve but once you get it down it's just as easy as anything else. The case neck does expand to fill the chamber so little fouling gets in the action. Leave a fired case chambered during cleaning the bore and you won't wash fouling into it.
 
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